I first visited Budapest in the summer of 1990. I was an intrepid backpacker Inter-railing my way to Romania, which just six month earlier had rid itself of Ceauçescu and weeks earlier had opened up to railway travel from the West. My cousin Tom and I had come via Prague, which we loved, but in contrast Budapest seemed a lot rougher — the dilapidation and the poverty was much more in evidence, the attempts at capitalism were tone-deaf and aggressive, and so I came away with a feeling of not having been to a friendly place.

What a difference 17 years makes. I’m in Budapest again, this time at the tail end of a busy week in Stockholm for Second Life-related meetings at the Swedish Institute. The institute’s communications department has now decamped to the Danube on a weekend “retreat”, though it’s definitely less “re” and more “treat”.

This time around, Budapest is bursting with civic pride — the buildings gleam, the streets are washed, the cars are new, the EU flags fly, and there is no garbage anywhere — we’re looking art Barcelona-levels of cleanliness here, in clear contrast to the natty feel of Brussels or Antwerp. Budapest thoroughly impresses.

You can check out all these places in Google Earth here.Quick recommendations: Menza for the food and decor, Spinoza Haz café and performance space for the enlightenment, and Cha Cha Cha for pure post-ironic dancing vibes, mostly to Hungarian Eurovision entries but also to the Rock classics.

Some edges still fray — beggars, mostly roma, are noticeable, and I got accosted by prostitutes on two occasions — once in the rather nice hotel‘s elevator. There is also that Slavic knack for tacky flashiness that afflicts women when they go out — not that there is anything wrong with that:-)